All The Tropesβ

Inciting Incident

All good stories have a beginning, middle, and an end. This is about the beginning. Not just the beginning, but the beginning of the beginning. This is about the Inciting Incident.

The Inciting Incident is that first thing, great or small, that sets in motion the sequence of events that constitute the plot. From the First Act to the Denouement, everything that happens in the story can be traced back here.

Despite the Inciting Incident's importance to the plot, it doesn't necessarily have to be a large event—it could be something as mundane as a phone call (in fact, in many non-heroic dramas it is a small thing of seeming unimportance.)

Note: The Inciting Incident need not be the first thing the audience sees, nor the first eventful thing to happen in the story. It can often be preceded by long bits of Exposition, glimpses into the Backstory, or scenes setting up the world of the story. It pertains to the protagonist solely, and his role in the overall plot.